Well, I surprised myself there. Here's what I actually got:
Batman and Robin #3
Batman Widening Gyre #1
Dark Avengers #8
Detective Comics #856
New Avengers #56
Secret Warriors #7
Yes, I did pick up Batman Widening Gyre. Flicking through it at the comic shop the art looked a lot better than the previous Kevin Smith Batman miniseries, although I think it's the same penciller. Different inker maybe? Anyway, there was enough there to intrigue me – Nightwing, Joker – so I bought it. Secret Warriors, again the art looked good at first glance, although not so brilliant on further examination. I read this one on the train back... and I'm not sure I made the right decision in buying it. It was OK, but the debut issue of this series – with its revelations about S.H.I.E.L.D., revelations that, for once in comics, were a surprise to me – is still the best one. Then again, the big tussle over the last few issues between Fury and Hydra has been kinda fun... Then again again, is "kinda fun" good enough...? Then again again again... I'm losing you here aren't I? Oh comics, why do you vex me so?
I passed on these:
Flash Rebirth #4 (of 6)
Green Lantern #45
Hulk #14
Incredible Hulk #60
Rebirth I realised I'm finding it hard to care not only that Barry Allen's back, but why he's back. So that's that. Anyone wanna buy the Ethan Van Sciver variants of #1-3? Green Lantern looked full of action, but also bereft of interest. Hulk I was pleasantly surprised by Ian Churchill's artwork (I'd heard he'd left the Liefeld School of Multiple Lines, but on a quick glance this looked like he'd enrolled at the McGuinness School of Chunky Goodness), but not pleasantly surprised enough to carry on reading the series. And Incredible Hulk now features Hulk's son. Yes, Hulk has a son, which he apparently sired on that alien planet during Planet Hulk. Hulk having a son feels wrong to me somehow; I've studiously avoided the Son of Hulk series up to now and basically pretended it hasn't happened, I can't hear you, la la la la. So I can't exactly start reading Incredible Hulk now Hulk's son is in it, can I? I do have some principles.
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
An interesting wrinkle
to the story about there being no new comics in Christmas week, which I blogged about here. The FPI blog points out that, in the UK, due to comics coming out on a Thursday instead of a Wednesday, there'll probably be no new comics the week after either.
Two weeks without new comics. Gulp. Could this be, like when you're ill and end up quitting smoking, an opportunity to give up comics for good?
Two weeks without new comics. Gulp. Could this be, like when you're ill and end up quitting smoking, an opportunity to give up comics for good?
An Excellent Point
Martin makes an excellent point in the comments in the post before the post before this one: if you buy too many comics, you'll be more jaded about comics because the more comics you buy, the more likely it is you'll buy ones you either don't like or that are essentially shit. I still feel somewhat nonplussed about superhero comics at the moment, and believe that's partly to do with the formulaic nature of the genre, but perhaps by cutting down I'll regain some of my enthusiasm. Here, then, is the list of what I'll definitely be getting this week:
Batman and Robin #3
Dark Avengers #8
Detective Comics #856
New Avengers #56
Considering it's the last week of the month, which is the busiest week for comics (lots of comics slip in the schedule, and so end up in the last week of a given month, as publishers still want to keep them in that particular month for cashflow reasons), that's an incredibly restrained list. But it may expand. Here are the comics I will consider buying:
Batman Widening Gyre #1
Flash Rebirth #4 (of 6)
Green Lantern #45
Hulk #14
Incredible Hulk #60
Secret Warriors #7
Some of these I probably will end up getting. But I'm pretty sure I'm jettisoning Hulk. I'll flick through it (and Incredible Hulk), but I almost certainly won't buy it. I actually haven't minded the Loeb/McGuinness Hulk run, but I guess the key phrase there is "haven't minded". Not exactly a ringing endorsement, and so, in the spirit of the new age of comics austerity, so long Greenskin.
Widening Gyre is the new Kevin Smith miniseries. I gave up on his last Batman miniseries, Cacophony, after one issue, so this one I'll have a look through and see what I think. As for Green Lantern, Flash Rebirth and Secret Warriors, it's touch and go with all of them. Flash I'll probably stick with – I've come this far after all. Green Lantern I think has Doug Mahnke art and is part of the Blackest Night event, so that's likely a keeper, for now anyway. Secret Warriors... it's been alright so far. But alright isn't really good enough, is it? Hmm. I think I've just talked (or typed) myself out of a potential purchase.
Batman and Robin #3
Dark Avengers #8
Detective Comics #856
New Avengers #56
Considering it's the last week of the month, which is the busiest week for comics (lots of comics slip in the schedule, and so end up in the last week of a given month, as publishers still want to keep them in that particular month for cashflow reasons), that's an incredibly restrained list. But it may expand. Here are the comics I will consider buying:
Batman Widening Gyre #1
Flash Rebirth #4 (of 6)
Green Lantern #45
Hulk #14
Incredible Hulk #60
Secret Warriors #7
Some of these I probably will end up getting. But I'm pretty sure I'm jettisoning Hulk. I'll flick through it (and Incredible Hulk), but I almost certainly won't buy it. I actually haven't minded the Loeb/McGuinness Hulk run, but I guess the key phrase there is "haven't minded". Not exactly a ringing endorsement, and so, in the spirit of the new age of comics austerity, so long Greenskin.
Widening Gyre is the new Kevin Smith miniseries. I gave up on his last Batman miniseries, Cacophony, after one issue, so this one I'll have a look through and see what I think. As for Green Lantern, Flash Rebirth and Secret Warriors, it's touch and go with all of them. Flash I'll probably stick with – I've come this far after all. Green Lantern I think has Doug Mahnke art and is part of the Blackest Night event, so that's likely a keeper, for now anyway. Secret Warriors... it's been alright so far. But alright isn't really good enough, is it? Hmm. I think I've just talked (or typed) myself out of a potential purchase.
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